LeBron James Now Knows What ‘Contraction’ Means

LBJ touched off a firestorm when he told the press that contraction would be good for the NBA. He then touched off another firestorm by basically lying that he didn’t know what the word meant. Awesome. From ESPN: “That’s crazy, because I had no idea what the word ‘contraction’ meant before I saw it on the Internet,’ James said after the Miami Heat’s practice Monday. ‘I never even mentioned that. That word never even came out of my mouth. I was just saying how the league was back in the ’80s and how it could be good again. I never said, ‘Let’s take some of the teams out.’ … James said he was only trying to show support for a time in the 1980s when teams such as the Lakers, Pistons, Bulls, 76ers and Celtics were dominant with star-studded rosters. James said he did not speak with Fisher, nor anyone else from the players’ association, about his comments on the Heat’s trip to Los Angeles, where they defeated the Lakers on Saturday. ‘I’m with the players, and the players know that,’ James said Monday. ‘I’ve been with the players. It’s not about getting guys out of the league or knocking teams out. I didn’t mean to upset nobody. I didn’t tell Avery Johnson to leave either. I didn’t say let’s abandon the Nets, and not let them move to Brooklyn or let’s tear down the Target Center in Minnesota. I never said that.'”